Today, as we remember Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the strides he helped American society take towards equality and justice, in some ways people will continue to judge you by your “skin” and as a result never even catch a glimpse of your character.
However, I’m not talking about the hue of your epidermis.
I have a dream
In his iconic “I Have a Dream Speech” Dr King said:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
While I believe we have taken great strides towards judging people by their character instead of their skin color, there is one thing that we judge by its skin more than ever… an organization’s website.
First Impressions
When people visit a new website, they begin making assessments immediately. Their first impression is based on the website’s “skin” or theme. Does it look old and outdated? Cluttered and disjointed? Over-the-top flashy? If it does, people will associate the organization it represents with those attributes.
There’s a good chance if they don’t like what they see, they will click away to another site before they ever see your content. Or if they do continue viewing your content, their perspective of it will already be colored by their impression of your website’s theme.
Be Your Best Version of Yourself
It’s important that your website have a good, quality theme or template. And it’s just as important that the theme represent who you genuinely are. If you’re a small rural church, your website should express that rather than give the impression you’re trying to look like a megachurch or an urban church. If you’re you’re a low tech small business be authentic about that rather than having a website theme that says “high tech” or “Wall Street.”
This is why when we help a church, school, ministry or business achieve their mission online with a custom designed website, the first thing we do is get to know the organization, their culture, and who they are trying to reach.
Discuss
- Do you find yourself making assessments of an organization based on their website’s skin or theme? Do you think there’s anything wrong with this?
- What does your website say about you? Are you sure – have you asked other people what they think it says about you?
7 Comments
I remember watching this on TV with my grandma. Guess that gives my age away, but I witnessed history. Great article.
Wow! Very cool!
I think you always need a good wrapping for good content
Cheers from Germany
Hansjörg
Thanks Hansjörg!
Great article
Great article, thanks for sharing Paul. Have a great weekend!
Thank you for continuing to share the love….